Is belief in God when faced with a lack of evidence improper? Evidentialism answers yes. According to Evidentialism, it is impermissible to believe any proposition lacking adequate evidence. Presenting a direct challenge to Evidentialism are pragmatic arguments for theism, which are designed to support belief in the absence of adequate evidence. Interestingly, although overlooked by philosophers, there is a version of Evidentialism compatible with a principled use of pragmatic arguments. In addition to Evidentialism, several moral objections to Pascal's Wager are surveyed and found flawed.
Keywords: Evidentialism, pragmatic arguments, ethics of belief, W. K. Clifford, moral arguments